This is a zine dedicated to death/thrash, technical and traditional death metal for more info contact hatredmeanswar@yahoo.com looking for new authors do to lack of time to cover everything email me at the email listed above if you want to do reviews and interviews for the blog.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Ashen Epitaph Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

Hi bro, thanks for the opportunity.
We started recording 2 years ago. Our recording sessions are always very slow and this occasion was no exception. But finally we made it and it will be kickass stuff.
We had a couple of live shows till last year’s summer, but after that, we made a long break (over a year long). We needed time and freedom to finish the new album, and now we think that it was a good decision concerning the band’s future. But now, Ashen Epitaph has awoken and is stronger than everyone else. :)

2.You have a new album coming out in October, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Yes, we have a new album which will be released by a Serbian label “Grom Records”.
The music genre isn’t different, but maybe a bit faster than the older albums. This time we tried some instrumental things we haven’t done before – faster skank beats / ultra slow beats, dual vocals in classic Carcass style, different kinds of solos and stuff like that.
Regarding the sound, this is a big step forward. Big thanks for our studio guy – Árpád Deák. He also progressed with us, both in knowledge and studio gear.
It’s a natural progression anyway.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?

We don’t have any changes on the lyrical side. The singer/guitarist – Attila Boros – wrote the lyrics about casual problems in the world spiced with religious criticism... Old school thrash metal themes. :)

4.I know that the band was named after a Benediction song, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?

Our name has no specific message or anything like that. We always liked Benediction, especially the Ashen Epitaph EP, so we didn’t have a better idea... Still better than Infernal Deathvomit or Unmerciful Godslaughter. :D
And what could be better for a good death metal band name than an old, rotten grave?!

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Hmmm… It’s very hard to pick just one. Every single show is equally important for us. We had a blast with gigs in major cities like Belgrade, Budapest, Skopje, Novi Sad and also in the small towns/villages.
On the stage we always want to do a 110% show full of energy, headbanging, and blasting. But sometimes have problems, like the sound guy is not the best, the size of the stage, or somebody in the band is unfit... Or a hangover! :D

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

Yes of course, but unfortunately not tours, just simple shows. Actually, we’re doing a big return/album release/ 14th birthday party with 3 awesome bands in our hometown, Senta. After that, we will play some gigs in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Szeged, Budapest. For the next summer, we’re invited a couple of festivals. I hope to add some shows in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We really like Czech festivals but never played in the country. Maybe on Brutal Assault, on the Jägermeister Stage, after a Deicide show. Hahahahaha. :)

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?

Sincerely I have no idea because I’m not really into that kind of investigation! :) I just know that the metalheads like our music. Of course, I always read reviews if we have something exclusive, a new record or a show. But I’m not a big searcher.

8.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Not really. Our guitarist – Norbert – has a project called Jane Dark with our studio guy. But they only made bedroom album recordings. :) There were only two Jane Dark shows, and I was the session drummer.
I played a few shows with our buddies, the legendary beer thrashers M.A.D. Goya a few years ago. I also got a few calls from bands to do something in the studio or helping them live, but I’m a redneck and I don’t like to learn the songs. :) For me, it’s better to practice and jam in the rehearsal room, cleaning up blastbeats or footwork and trying out some non-typical metal parts.
In the early days, our bassist Mihajlo had a crusty grind project but nothing serious.
And from 2002 to 2004 (the other) Attila and Norbert played in a thrash metal cover band. They played songs from Slayer, Sodom, Motörhead, Venom, etc.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

In my opinion, the music will be the same in the future, much like in the last 14 years. Maybe more or less complex; a perfect mixture of the American and European styles of death metal. We aren’t planning to use insane classic keyboard rounds like Stratovarius, and also not clean vocals like Dream Theater. Just shitty, powerful death metal!!! Hahaha! :)

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We don’t really listen to many new bands. Of course, sometimes we discover something new, like Mgła, Dead Congregation, Wolves In The Throne Room, Mithras, Ne Obliviscaris, Vallenfyre, etc. But for example, I don’t hunt for new bands. We still listen the same music as 15 years ago – Carcass, Gorefest, Morbid Angel, Edge Of Sanity, Dismember, Death, Malevolent Creation, Kreator, Vomitory, Slayer, etc.
To make a long story short, the classic scene of death/thrash metal and naturally these bands’ new albums; and much more, from Aerosmith to punk music and dark rock, from Soundgarden and Billy Idol to Cryptopsy.

11.What are some of your non-musical interests?

Hmm, that’s a nice question but I don’t have any special interests or hobbies. For me, the best way to “turn my brain off” is playing the drums for 2-3 hours daily.
I’m a big fan of Bud Spencer &Terrence Hill. Sometimes I play games on my old Playstation 1 like Resident Evil 2, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid. Also, drinking beer and partying till dawn in my workplace which is a blues rock pub. Classic rockstar life! Hahaha! :)
I (and also Norbert) love good horror movies. The classics are the best in this genre as well – Hellraiser, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Alien, Predator, Fly, THE THING, etc.
And Mihajlo is a very big fan of fishing! It has happened before the he didn’t come to rehearsal because he caught a big carp or some huge beast, and he stayed on the riverside under the influence of victory. :)

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thank you for this interview, and thank YOU, everyone who read these lines.
We hope to see you soon during a concert somewhere.
Listen to our new stuff “The Formed Filth Enigma” because it kills... And also the older records.
Thank You! Keep grindin’!!!